Improvement in furnaces for reducing iron ores



2 Sheets--Sheet l.

1. W l LSU N. Furnaces for Raduni n Irun-Dres.

Patented Dec. 9,1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrlIcE.

JOEL WILSON, OF DOVER, NEW JERSEY.

IKMFROVEMENT- IN FUR'NCES= FGR REDUCiNG IRON ORES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145,471, dated December 9, 1873; application filed June 10, 1873.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOEL WiLsoN, of Dover, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented certain novel Improvements on Furnaces for Reducing Iron Ore; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference bein ghad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, Plate 1, is an elevation of one side of my improved furnace. Fig. 2, Plate 1, is a section taken vertically and diametrically through thefurnace from front to rear, in the plane indicated by dotted line xl, Fig. 4. Fig. 3, Plate l, is a section taken diametrically through the furnace, in the plane indicated by dotted line a?, Fig. 4. Fig. 4, Plate 1, is a section taken horizontally through the furnace, in the plane indicated by dotted line a: on Fig. l. Fig. 5, Plate 2, is a bottom view of the flues surrounding the intern al chambers, and also the retorts with the transverse flue-passages at their bases.

Fig. 6, Plate 2, is a bottom view, showing the collecting-chamber which surrounds the wellhole.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to certain novel iinprovements on the furnacev for reducing iron ores preparatory to their being worked into manufactured iron, for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to me bearing date the 16th day of July, 187 2.

My improvements relate, first, to a new mode of conducting the heated products of combustion from a hailing-furnace under the retorts, on opposite sides of the dischargeopenings thereof, and into an annular fluespace outside of the retorts 5 second, to a mode of increasing the draft-spaces at the tops of the fluesbetween the retorts without weakening the retorts, all as will be hereinafter eX- plained.

The following description of my invention will enable others skilled in the art to understand it.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the outer casing, surrounding that portion of the furnace in which are the retorts and flues, and A represents the outer wall of that portion of the furnace through which the spent products of combustion pass'off to the chimney. The furnace-walls A and A are cylindrical, and between the wall A andan interior circular arrangement of ilues and retorts is an annular space, b, into which heat enters from an internal chamber, E, through passages n n at the bottoms of the retorts B. The retorts B and flues C are arranged alternately around the central fine-chamber E, as described in my Letters Patent above referred to and represented in Figs. 4t and 5, which central chainber is provided on top with a cover, D, and at its lower termination it opens into a well-hole, G, into which the heated products of combustion are received from a ballin g-furn ace through a horizontal flue, F, which is below the surface of the ground. Surrounding the wellhole G, above the ilue F, and inclosed by the wall A', is an annular collecting-chamber, I, having an outlet, J, leading to a chimney, and also a number of inlets, h, corresponding to each descending flue C, which inlets are at the top of pipes H, that communicate with the lower ends of said ues C, as shown in Fig. 3. The pipes H surround the upper portion of the wall of the well-hole G, and form lower continuations of the iiues G below the bottoms of the retorts B, so that the descending products of combustion can be carried from the upper to the lower portions of the furnace, between the spaces which are left for the removal of the ore after it has been subjected to the process of cementation. In other words, the iiuepipes H aiford access to the discharge-holes d at the bottoms of the retorts, which holes are provided with gates or doors d, applied in any suitable manner.

In my Letters Patent above referred to I have the same arrangement of flue-pipes H be neath and on opposite sides of the dischargeholes of the retorts, and in said patent these pipes form external continuations of the flue C, and communicate with an annular collecting-chamber; but this chamber is located below the inlet-flue F, while in the present i11- stance the collecting-chamber is wholly above said flue F, for a reason hereinafter explained.

The products of combustion risethrough the well-hole G into the internal chamber E, and a part of these products enter the annular space b through openings e and passages n.

Most of the products rise to the top of the chamber E, and thence pass horizontally outward through short conduits c, and enter the upper ends of the lues C through apertures c. (Shown in Fig. 3.) Theproducts thence descend through fines C and pipes H, and enter the annular chamber I, from which they are conducted oft' through pipe J into a chimney, as above stated. l

The upper ends of the retorts are provided with openings a, which allowsr the carbonicacid gas formed in the process of cementation to escape, and also allow additional material to be supplied to the retorts, as occasion requires.

By locating the iue F below the annular collecting-flue I, instead of above it, as described in my Letters Patent before named, the intensity of heat in said chamber I is greatly reduced, and the iiue F can be passed under the surface of the ground, which gives room to dischargethe retorts directly opposite the puddling-furnace, thereby giving the use of two retorts, which could not be discharged if fine F passes through the annular chamber I on a horizontal level with it.

By means of the lues u n, directly under the bottoms of the retorts B, a large quantity of heat is carried to the space b, surrounding the retorts, which thoroughly heats the ore at the bottoms and outer sides of the retorts.

By having the horizontal external conduits c on tcp of the furnace, as described, for establishing communication between the internal chamber E and the descending iiues C, I ob tain a good draft and afford plenty of fluespace Without weakening the retorts by leaving openings between them.

Having described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent i- 17. The iue F, located below the annular collecting-chamber I, and communicating with the internal chamber E, which is surrounded by retorts and iiues, substantially as described.

2. The line-passages n n under the retorts B, leading from chamber E into the annular space b, surrounding the retorts, substantially as described.

3. The external conduits c, forming comuninications between the chamber E and the upper ends of the descending lues C, substalr tially as described.

J OEL XVILSON.

Vitnesses:

Ronin LOGAN, JOHN Laren-Iron. 

